In collaboration with U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Fleet Forces Command organizes, mans, trains, maintains, and equips Navy forces, develops and submits budgets, and executes readiness and personnel accounts to develop both required and sustainable levels of Fleet readiness. Additionally, the command serves as the unified voice for Fleet training requirements and policies to generate combat-ready Navy forces per the Fleet Response Plan using the Fleet Training Continuum (FTC).

FRCSW, formerly Naval Aviation (NAVAIR) Depot North Island, Calif., was the first of six Fleet Readiness Centers (FRC) to stand up following the establishment of COMFRC. The other five FRCs will be: FRC West, Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, East and Southeast.

The Support Equipment Rework Facility (SERF) is dedicated to providing our Fleet Marine Corps and Naval forces with the highest quality of depot-level maintenance, ... manufacture and overhaul of naval aviation support equipment (SE).

U.S. Fleet Forces Command (COMUSFLTFORCOM)was originally established as Commander In Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT). CINCLANTFLT was established under one command in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.

The Fleet concept came into being following the Spanish-American War when new bases acquired in the Caribbean and the Pacific were considered useless unless protected by an adequate fleet.

President Roosevelt placed great emphasis on naval readiness for war. During his first administration, from 1901 to 1905, authorization was obtained from Congress for 10 new battleships, four armored cruisers and 17 smaller craft. All battleships were assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and all armored cruisers and lighter cruisers were assigned to the newly created Pacific Fleet.

The first Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet was Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, who assumed command on 1 January 1906 aboard his flagship the battleship USS MAINE (BB 10).

In December 1907, Rear Admiral Evans led the fleet of 16 first line battleships out of Hampton Roads on the start of the famous world cruise of the Great White Fleet (1907-1909). President Roosevelt witnessed the departure from his yacht MAYFLOWER. This ceremonious Fleet Review served as a highlight of the Jamestown Exposition, then held at the site of the present Norfolk Naval Station.

History indicates a continuous use of the title "Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet" from 1906 until 1923 and again from 1941 to 2002. In a reorganization of the United States Fleet in 1923, that title was abolished and the title "Commander Scouting Force" was used. On 1 February 1941, General Order 143 reestablished the title and reorganized the United States Fleet into three separate fleets (Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic). The Order further stated each fleet would be under the command of a full admiral. On 1 February 1941, Rear Admiral Ernest J. King, in his flagship USS TEXAS (BB 35) at Culebra, Puerto Rico, hauled down his two-star flag and hoisted his four-star flag as Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet.

From April 1941 to April 1948, four flagships served as headquarters for the Fleet Commander in Chief: USS AUGUSTA (CA 31) from April 1941 to January 1942; the historic spar-decked corvette/sloop USS CONSTELLATION (launched in 1855) from January 1942 to August 1942; USS VIXEN (PG 53) from August 1942 to May 1946; and USS POCONO (AGC 16) from May 1946 to April 1948. On 5 April 1948, the Headquarters moved ashore into spaces of the former U.S. Navy Hospital, Norfolk, where it has remained.

After the end of World War II, the organization of the United States Armed Forces was reviewed with a view toward reorganization after the turbulent war years. On 1 December 1947, under a reorganization act of the Armed Forces approved by Congress, the unified United States Atlantic Command was established, with headquarters co-located to those of U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Admiral William H.P. Blandy, USN, Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, became the first Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command, a title that remained dual-hatted (and would later become triple-hatted) until another reorganization of the Armed Forces in 1985, the Goldwater-Nichols Act, separated U.S. Atlantic Command from U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

In the early 1950s, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decided to establish a new major command, that of Allied Command, Atlantic, under the command of a U.S. four-star admiral with headquarters in Norfolk, VA. Since this was primarily a naval command responsible for allied defense of the North Atlantic, the decision was made to co-locate this organization with that of U.S. Atlantic Command and U.S. Atlantic Fleet, to form a tri-hatted command. On 10 April 1952, Admiral Lynde D. McCormick, USN, Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command and U.S. Atlantic Fleet, assumed the title as the first Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. Like U.S. Atlantic Command, Allied Command Atlantic, remained intact and part of a tri-hatted command organization until a Congressionally mandated reorganization of the U.S. Armed Forces occurred in 1985, which separated command of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet from the other two commands with its own four-star admiral. Admiral Wesley L. McDonald, USN, was the last U.S. Navy admiral to command all three organizations at the same time. He relinquished command of U.S. Atlantic Fleet to Admiral Carlisle A. H. Trost, USN, on 4 October 1985.

Under the 1985 reorganization of the U.S. Armed Forces, the admiral filling the post of Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, would also fill the position of Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command. This role for CINCLANTFLT continued until the Secretary of Defense, in 1986, approved a separate billet for the Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command. On 16 September 1986, Admiral Frank B. Kelso II, USN, relinquished the Deputy USCINCLANT post to Major General Thomas G. Darling, USAF.

From 1 February 1991 to 17 February 2000, the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet was the naval component commander for the unified Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command, assuming responsibility for all U.S. Navy operational and training matters in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. On 17 February 2000, these responsibilities were reassigned to the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (formerly Commander, South Atlantic Force), assuming naval component commander duties for the unified USSOUTHCOM. However, COMUSNAVSO does not have any permanently assigned afloat forces. CINCLANTFLT, at the direction of USJFCOM (formerly USCINCLANT), remains the major force provider for USNAVSO for forces attached in support of USSOUTHCOM operations and exercises.

On 1 June 1992, the Commander in chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet became the naval component commander for the Commander in Chief, U.S. Strategic Command, assuming responsibility for all U.S. Navy operational and training matters under USSTRATCOM.

On 1 October 2001, the Chief of Naval Operations designated CINCLANTFLT as concurrent Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (COMUSFLTFORCOM); a new command responsible for overall coordination, establishment, and implementation of integrated requirements and policies for manning, equipping, and training Atlantic and Pacific Fleet units during the inter-deployment training cycle.

On 1 October 2002, COMUSFLTFORCOM became the Naval component commander for the newly-formed U.S. Northern Command, assuming responsibility for all U.S. Navy operational and training matters under Commander, U.S. Northern Command.

On 24 October 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed that the title of "Commander in Chief" be reserved solely for the President of the United States. In a message to Naval Commanders in Chief, the Chief of Naval Operations directed a change of title to that of "Commander." This change affected the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe.

On 23 May 2006, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) issued OPNAV NOTICE 3111, Ser DNS-33/6U827232, that disestablished the Commander, Fleet Forces Command (COMFLTFORCOM) and Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (COMLANTFLT) and renamed COMLANTFLT to Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (COMUSFLTFORCOM), ordered to carry out the missions currently performed by COMFLTFORCOM and COMLANTFLT and serve as primary advocate for fleet personnel, training, requirements, maintenance, and operational issues, reporting administratively directly to the CNO as an Echelon 2 command. All forces reporting to COMLANTFLT or COMFLTFORCOM will now report to COMUSFLTFORCOM effectively immediately.

On 31 October 2006, a ceremony was held to officially mark the transition of the United States Atlantic Fleet and Fleet Forces Command to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Three of the 37 previous admirals who held the top post in the Atlantic fleet attended the ceremony, held aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). The command will henceforth be known as Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT) is a post within the United States Fleet Forces Command. As Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic, it is a military formation, but the organization is often known as COMNAVSURFLANT. Its headquarters are at the Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia.[2] The commander, as of August 2010, was Rear Admiral David M. Thomas Jr. NAVSURFLANT supervises all surface ships based on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast. Before the creation of Fleet Forces Command, the organization supervised all surface ships in the United States Atlantic Fleet.

The mission of Commander, Anti-Submarine Warfare Force THIRD Fleet is to execute CTF-34s theater Anti-Submarine Warfare role as CTF-34/TASWC and fulfill a training support role to plan and conduct theater ASW exercises and tactics to support Fleet training requirements and the Fleet ASW Improvement Program. CTF-34/TASWC provides tactical command and control of assigned ASW assets during operations and exercises.

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — Now, all that's left is a commemorative plaque.

The Navy's 2nd Fleet — the command that quarantined Cuba in 1962, led the Navy's responses to Hurricane Katrina and oversaw East Coast Navy combat training for much of its 6½ decades of service —faded into the history books Friday morning, the victim of a downturned economy, federal budget pressures and Navy cost-cutting.

The sun-splashed ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk merged 2nd Fleet, which traced its roots to 1946, with Fleet Forces Command, which itself sprouted out of the former Atlantic Fleet.

The merger comes about two months after http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/08/military-joint-forces-command-disestablished-080411w/" the disestablishment of U.S. Joint Forces Command, which managed Pentagon demands for Navy deployers, trained deploying joint battle staffs and conducted joint experimentation. It, too, was shuttered in a cost-cutting move initiated by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who called for eliminating "wasteful, excessive and unneeded spending" and the redirection of defense dollars into the current wars and the "most likely and lethal future threats."

The changes were also aimed at convincing a Congress under heavy pressure to cut federal spending that the Pentagon was getting its own house in order and that further spending cuts are unnecessary. But more are likely, given a $465 billion Defense Department passed by Congress for the next 12 years.

The Navy has frequently reorganized over the years, and Fleet Forces chief Adm. John Harvey told the audience that the 2nd Fleet disestablishment "part of the natural progression of things."

Harvey also predicted that much more substantial changes are coming both to the Navy and the rest of the Defense Department.

"As our forces complete the drawdown in Iraq and commence the drawdown in Afghanistan, our entire military will be reorganized, and reshaped, to most effectively face the challenges of tomorrow," he said. "And in the midst of the most significant fiscal crisis for this nation since the Great Depression from 1929 to 1940, a great deal of profound change is coming. And today's events mark the leading edge of that change."

But, Harvey added, "our mission remains the same. Our standards remain the same. Only our structure has changed. … Our purpose and our focus is on the deckplates and the flight decks, ensuring our sailors have the tools and training and time they need to deploy, confident in their ability to carry out the missions they have been assigned."

The merger plans http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/05/navy-2nd-fleet-review-closing-052211w/">stirred concerns within the two staffs, as well in Congress. Planning documents obtained by Navy Times last spring cited senior-level worries about lines of communication within the merged organization and an "oversaturation" of tasks among fleet leaders and staff members. An official familiar with the merger process said the effort was being rushed.

Apprised of the internal staff concerns, the chairman of the House Armed Service Committee's Readiness Subcommittee, Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., said he feared the Navy was cutting back for the sake of cutting back. Forbes had raised similar criticisms about the plan to close Joint Forces command.

2nd Fleet's final commander didn't address those issues, but hinted in his remarks at a difficult transition.

"I can assure you that this has not been one of most favorite projects over the last eight months, to merge our staffs," said Vice Adm. Daniel Holloway, who plans to retire. "But as professionals, and under Admiral Harvey's inspirational leadership, we executed this mission with the same zeal, determination and spirit that we put into the fun things — the things we like to do."

Harvey acknowledged the hard work.

"It has involved a great deal of effort from everyone at 2nd Fleet and at Fleet Forces," he said. "It was not a task we sought. But it was a task that came our way. A mission that we had to accomplish, just like any other."

Harvey heaped praise on Holloway, who he said took on the task with "an extraordinary display of professionalism.

"There are a lot of ways this could have gone," Harvey said. "And all of you know what they are. But they didn't go any of those ways. They went the right way, because of how Dan Holloway approached this."

Under the reorganization, Fleet Forces Command now has a unique command arrangement featuring two deputy commanders: a two-star admiral serving simultaneously as chief of staff and overseer of fleet management, and a three-star deputy commander for fleet and joint operations.

The three-star is responsible for the training and certification of East Coast naval forces preparing to deploy — the function overseen until now by 2nd Fleet. An executive director for fleet resources and readiness integration also reports to Harvey.

“Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the reestablishment of U.S. 4th Fleet and assigned Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, currently serving as Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, as its first commander.

U.S. 4th Fleet will be responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, and Central and South America and the surrounding waters.

Located in Mayport, Fla., and dual-hatted with Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO), U.S. 4th Fleet reestablishment addresses the increased role of maritime forces in the SOUTHCOM area of focus, and demonstrates U.S. commitment to regional partners.

"Reconstituting the Fourth Fleet recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere, and sends a strong signal to all the civil and military maritime services in Central and Latin America," said Roughead. "Aligning the Fourth Fleet along with our other numbered fleets and providing the capabilities and personnel are a logical execution of our new Maritime Strategy."

U.S. 4th Fleet was original established in 1943 as one of the original numbered fleets, and was given a specific mission. During World War II, the U.S. needed a command in charge of protecting against raiders, blockade runners and enemy submarines in the South Atlantic. U.S. 4th Fleet was disestablished in 1950 when U.S. 2nd Fleet took over its responsibilities.

Initially, the new 4th Fleet will be headquartered with COMUSNAVSO and take advantage of the existing infrastructure, communications support and personnel already in place in Mayport. As a result, U.S. 4th Fleet will not involve an increase in forces assigned in Mayport.

"This is a significant change and presents us the opportunity to garner the right resources for the missions we run for Southern Command," said Rear Adm. James W. Stevenson Jr., Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO). "As a numbered fleet, we will be in a better position to ensure the Combatant Commander has the right assets available when needed."

U.S. 4th Fleet will retain responsibility as COMUSNAVSO, the Navy component command for SOUTHCOM. Its mission is to direct U.S. naval forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Various operations include counter-illicit trafficking, Theater Security Cooperation, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.

For more information from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command visit www.cusns.navy.mil.

This year’s conference highlighted an increased focus on enhancing combined exercises to better integrate U.S. and Japanese forces and capabilities in a live-force environment. Interoperability, cooperation, and tactical development were key themes of the event.

“These talks are another example of the exceptional relationship enjoyed by the U.S. Navy and JMSDF, said Rear Admiral Hugh Wetherald, Commander Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet. "The fact that we can come together to discuss openly on how we can improve our core combat capabilities and interoperability in mine warfare and amphibious operations demonstrates our commitment to this alliance.”

The intent for the staff talks is to provide a forum for the subject matter experts to meet and discuss different aspects of their mission objectives and their responsibilities and provide a forum to discuss coordination and training between U.S. and JMSDF Mine Warfare forces.

“Our ability to operate seamlessly with our JMSDF counterparts in such a critical area of the world is vital to maintaining stability and open seas in the Western Pacific” said CAPT. Mike Dowling, commander of MCMRON 7. “We genuinely appreciate the professionalism and knowledge of our friends in the JMSDF Mine Warfare Force.”

Both U.S. and JMSDF MCM ships pulled in to White Beach where Sailors from both navies were provided tours and introductions of the ships as their respective staffs crafted plans for future operations. In the spirit of friendship, the two navies engaged in softball and enjoyed cookout serving traditional American and Japanese barbeque.

MCMRON 7, commanded by Capt. Mike Dowling, is a combined readiness and tactical staff responsible for mine countermeasures in the SEVENTH Fleet area of responsibility. The squadron consists of four Avenger class minesweepers forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan and a helicopter mine countermeasures detachment in Pohang, Republic of Korea.

United States 7th Fleet is naval military unit based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near South Korea and Japan. It is subordinate to Commander, Pacific Fleet. At present it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with 50–60 ships, 350 aircraft and 60,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel. With the support of its Task Force Commanders, it has three major assignments:

Joint Task Force command in a natural disaster or joint military operation, Operational command of all naval forces in the region, and Defense of the Korean Peninsula.

A Pacific Fleet was created in 1907 when the Asiatic Squadron and the Pacific Squadron were combined. In 1910, the ships of the First Squadron were organized back into a separate Asiatic Fleet. The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence.

The fleet's modern incarnation dates from the splitting of the United States Fleet into the Atlantic and Pacific fleets prior to World War II.

Until May 1940, the fleet was stationed on the west coast of the United States. During the summer of that year, as part of the U.S. response to Japanese expansionism, it was instructed to take an "advanced" position at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Long term basing at Pearl Harbor was so strongly opposed by the commander, Admiral James O. Richardson, that he personally protested in Washington. Political considerations were thought sufficiently important that he was relieved by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who was in command at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Rear Admiral Claude C. Bloch commanded the local Naval District at Pearl, as distinct from the fleet, at the time of the attack.

The 7th Fleet was formed on March 15, 1943 in Brisbane, Australia, during World War II. It served in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) under General Douglas MacArthur, and the 7th Fleet commander also served as commander of Allied naval forces in the SWPA.

USS Princeton (CVL-23) of the 3rd Fleet on fire east of Luzon at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.Most of the ships of the Royal Australian Navy were also part of the fleet during 1943–45. The 7th Fleet formed a large part of the Allied forces at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944, which is often said to have been the largest naval battle in history. After the end of the war, the 7th Fleet relocated to Japan.

Since 1945 the Pacific Fleet has been involved in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the two Taiwan Straits Crisis, and a number of other operations including the Mayaguez Incident of 1975. The RIMPAC exercise series began in 1971.

The fleet also participated in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and afterwards conducted operations near North Vietnam. Following this, its next major combat action was in the Persian Gulf War, wherein it was placed under the command of NAVCENT (Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command). After the war ended, it was returned to the Pacific Fleet.

The very large PACEX '89 in the North Pacific involved the USN, Canadian Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, and ROK Navy. At the end of Exercise PACEX '89 a 54 ship formation was assembled for photos. It included the flagship, USS Blue Ridge, the USS Enterprise Battle Group, the USS Carl Vinson Battle Group, two battleship surface action groups formed around the USS New Jersey and USS Missouri, and a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force task force [citation needed]. Later ships of the Pacific Fleet, notably the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Mobile Bay provided support to the entry of INTERFET in East Timor in 1999.

Following the end of the Cold War, the two major military scenarios in which the 7th Fleet would be used would be in case of conflict in Korea or a conflict between The People's Republic of China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Straits.

US 7th Fleet is a part of United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a Pacific Ocean Navy theater-level component command of the United States Navy, under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its homeport is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, commanded by Admiral Patrick M. Walsh. The term United States Pacific Fleet, also used during World War II, was often shown as COMPACFLT as Navy typewriters in the ship's message centers at the time contained only capital letters, to lessen the chance for typing or reading errors. Prior to 24 October 2002, the commander was titled Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT).

As of 2011, the Pacific Fleet consists of the numbered Third and Seventh Fleets, as well as Naval Air Force, Pacific; Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific; Naval Submarine Force, Pacific; and other commands [citation needed].

The naval shore commands Commander Naval Forces Korea; Commander Naval Forces Japan; and Commander Naval Forces Marianas are also under the authority of the Pacific Fleet.

US 7th Fleet Operations

Of the 50–60 ships typically assigned to Seventh Fleet, 18 operate from U.S. facilities in Japan and Guam. These forward-deployed units represent the heart of Seventh Fleet. The 18 permanently forward-deployed ships of the US 7th Fleet are the centerpieces of American forward presence in Asia. They are 17 steaming days closer to locations in Asia than their counterparts based in the continental United States. It would take three to five times the number of rotationally-based ships in the United States to equal the same presence and crisis response capability as these 18 forward deployed ships. On any given day, about 50 percent of Seventh Fleet forces are deployed at sea throughout the area of responsibility. The Seventh Fleet Command Ship is the USS Blue Ridge, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. In 2004, Blue Ridge entered dry dock and command responsibility was transferred temporarily to USS Coronado (AGF-11). Blue Ridge returned to duty 27 September 2004.

Based at NAS North Island, San Diego, Calif., Commander Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing, Pacific extends the shipboard sensor and weapons capabilities against several types of enemy threats: submarines, surface ships and patrol craft that might be armed with anti-ship missiles. The "light" squadrons deploy aboard surface ships and fly the SH-60B, but will soon be transistioning to the MH-60R. When the squadrons have transistioned to the MH-60R, they will be redesignated HSM from HSL.

CNATTU mission is to produce Sailors and Marines with the necessary FA-18 knowledge, skills, and abilities to function at the highest technical standards in naval aviation maintenance. Train the fleet! Supply the fleet with the highest quality trained aviation maintenance technicians so commands can perform their primary mission ashore, at sea and in combat.

CNATTU Lemoore’s primary objective is to produce FA-18 aviation maintenance professionals with the level of skill, character, and fighting spirit expected in the fleet. CNATTU Sailors and Marines (students and staff) will be held to the highest technical standards; they will be challenged physically and mentally while upholding the core values of the Navy and Marine Corps; "Honor, Courage and Commitment." CNATTU instructors ensure that our students are given all the resources required to succeed in their chosen professions. CNATTU Lemoore will produce the best trained maintainers the fleet has ever known. We understand, "The fleet expects nothing less."

Admiral Nimitz, the Chief of Naval Operations, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in Naval Aviation. The Blue Angels performed their first flight demonstration less than a year later in June 1946 at their home base, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat, they were led by Lt. Cmdr. Roy "Butch" Voris."

FIRST BLUE ANGEL AIRSHOW was 14 June 1946 - "The first aircraft the Blue Angels used was the F6F Hellcat, and they only had three of these aircraft and one SNJ. This aircraft didn't last long with the Blue Angels. After two months it was replaced by the newer F8F Bearcat. The paint color on the Hellcats was FS15042-Gloss Sea Blue and the yellow was actual gold leaf.

During the 1940s, both the Navy and the Marine Corps occupied Miramar. East Miramar (Camp Elliott) was used to train Marine artillery and armored personnel, while Navy and Marine Corps pilots trained on the western side. The bases were combined and designated Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in 1945.

In 1947, the Marines moved to El Toro in Orange County, and Miramar was redesignated as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. In 1954, the Navy offered NAAS Miramar to San Diego for $1 (the offer was refused). Only the western half of Miramar's facilities were put to use, and the old station literally began to deteriorate, with many buildings sold as scrap.

Miramar found new life as a Navy Master Jet Station in the 1950s, but really came into its own during the Vietnam War. The Navy needed a school to train pilots in dog-fighting and in fleet air defense. In 1969 the Top Gun school was established (and immortalized by the 1985 movie of the same name).

In October 1972, Miramar welcomed the famed F-14 Tomcat. VF-124's mission was to train Tomcat crews for aircraft carrier operations. The first two operational Tomcat squadrons, VF-1 and VF-2, trained here before deploying aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1974. These squadrons flew top cover during the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

Commands of the United States Navy

A Sailors tale of his Tour of duty in the U.S. Navy - Operation Evening Light And Eagle Claw -